Salsa: life-changing?

Welcome to df! A belated welcome... I know quite a few people who talk highly about you...Brian Bromka, director of La Familia, Syracuse...etc YOur story is inspiring and I personally encourage anyone who says they have to lose weight to try salsa.

I myself lost 5 pounds after I started salsa dancing. I actually need to put on weight though, so I'm starting an intensive exercise routine. ;-)

Dancing has definitely given me a confidence that I did not have before. At least I can go and say something to a lady, no? "May I have a dance?" I think that my outrageous side also is more on display. THough I still melt away at times I am more noticeable in groups settings.

When I found salsa I was not happy with my life: I lived in a place where I had a hard time with the close-minded mentality of the locals, I could not connect to them, I had nothing in common with them although I lived in my own country. I loved dancing and did some dancing but it was not fulfilling (in retrospect I can say that no dancing has been as fulfilling to me as salsa anyway!). Yes, I had a group of nice friends but most of them non-dancers and the group was not international enough for my taste. When I found salsa, I neglected them (they understood and didn't take it personal) and they are still my friends after all those years.

Then I found salsa and I was constantly on cloud #7 every weekend. It was a continuous high! I went through most of the phases in this thread http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=129! I found an international crowd of people, I made new friends who were more like me, had the same interests, were open minded, liked to travel, loved to get to know other cultures - exactly what I always wanted. I met my best friend there, met her the 2nd night out in my first salsa club and we have been best friends ever since (it will be 16 years this coming June). I have other girlfriends whom I met around the same time and we are still close friends now. We did not only go out dancing together, we went on vacation together to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Miami, Mexico etc. and we have been sharing the good and the bad in life. And I met my husband dancing salsa... (Todo comenzó bailando...)

I also lost weight when I started. I had never been fat but was a bit chubby, especially around my waist. Within two months my whole figure changed for the better, all fat I had ever had on my body was shed (including the extra 2 pounds of gallo pinto/rice & beans I had put on during my vacation in Costa Rica just before I found my first salsa club). I lost about 8 pounds in total and have been skinny ever since (am working on putting on some weight now). I am only 5'4" and 5-8 pounds make a huge difference for me.

My style in clothes totally changed, also for the better. I started wearing sexy dance dresses/clothes and I felt really good, got lots of compliments, had lots of dancers. The whole journey (of almost 16 years of salsa) has been phantastic!